Golf drive stroke practice device



Oct. 5, 1937. w. J. GLANCEY 2,095,062

GOLF DRIVE STROKE PRACTICE DEVICE Filed May 22, 1954 2 INVENTOR Mz'ZZz'am I GZanc y ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,095,062. r GOLF DRIVE STROKE PRACTICE nnvrcn William J. Glancey, Trenton, N. J., assignor to Home Golf Incorporated, Trenton, N. J., a corn ration o N w J ey Appiication May 22, 1934, Serial No. 726,9i4

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for practicing golf strokes; and the invention has reference, more particularly, to a novel device especially adapted for the practice of e g ill n trok invention has for its principal object to provide a novel golf practice device of the captive ball type, wherein the movement of the ball, when driven by a stroke of a clubwielded by the user, is proportional to the force 'of the blow 'administeredby the club, with the consequence that the extent of movement of the ball substantially indicates the distanceof flight which would be attained by a free ballif driven by a blow of equivalent force. To this end the invention come prises a novel vertically disposed helical guide having a' nut piece rotatably movable up and down thereon, said nut piece having a laterally projecting rod or arm upon the free end of which is afiixed a golf ball; said helical guide being formed of twisted flat stock and is provided with a relatively fast pitch, so that after the nut piece, as revolvedthereon by the movement of the driven ball, reaches the end of its upward travel on said guide, the same, together with the ball will return by gravity to normal initial position, whereby after completion of a driving stroke and consequent movement of the ball under the impulsion thereof, the ball automatically returns to an initial teed position, in other words the ball is self-teeing. By reason of this novel structure and mode of operation, the user is relieved of all necessity for manually resetting the device preparatory to each practice stroke, and may consequently repeat and practice the strokes at will,

and concentrate full attention upon the study of his stroke methods and effects."

The invention has fora further object to provide a novel means cooperative with the movable captive ball and its helical guide for indicating the flight distances corresponding to attained positions of the driven ball as moved on the guide. Other objects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

' Fig. l is a front elevation of the novel golf stroke practice device made according to this in- --Y F g- 2 i t re tiqe tran r e on through the same, taken on line 2--2 in Fig. 1; 'Fig. 3 is'a fragmentary horizontal section through the same, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate cor-re spending parts. 7

Referring to said drawing, the novel golf stroke practice device comprises a base 5, which is preferably made of metal, such as cast iron, or of I any other suitable and comparatively weighty material calculated to give stability to the d vice when in use. Mounted on the base 5 is a uita u p rti f me mi m in upri ts 6 and spaced longitudinally apart, with their lower ends footed 'or anchored to or in the base 5, and having their upper ends connected toj gether by a head bar or cross piece 8. It will be obvious that the'uprights 6 ,'i and unitin head bar or cross piece 8 may be variously formed, either in separate parts suitably limited or as one piece. In their simplest form, as shown, said parts are made of heavy strap or band metal in one piece, with the uprights disposed with their fiat sides in vertical planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the basejwhiie the head bar or cross 'piece is disposed, by interconnecting t isted connections 9 with the upper ends of said uprights, in a horizontal plane.

Extending vertically between the base 5 and the head bar or cross piece 8, midway between the uprights 6 and l, is a helical guide member ID, the same having its lower end "afiixed to the base 5 and its upper end affixed to the head bar or cross piece 8. This guide member in is formed by'a' helically twisted flat bar, the helices of which are of relatively fast pitch.

Rotatably slidable' on said helical guide, member It is a nut-piece ll, preferably "having a helical bore [2 to fit or correspond to the helices of said guide member. Said nut-piece] I is pro- Vided with a laterally projecting "stud 13 having in its free end an internally threaded socket i4. Screwed into said socket 1.4 is the inner end of a ba l s p in arm 55 W i hthu r o'ie t o said nut-piece H in a lateral direction substantially at right angles to the vertical axis of said guide member i0. Suitably affixed on the outer nd r o N3 of sai am l5 s a ol ball l Preferably said portion I6 'of the supportingarm l5 xt n s diametri a y through mantra th ball H, a stop shoulder 3 being providedon the arm to hold the ball againstshifting movement on the latter, and the ball is retained on the arm against the stop shoulder [8 by a washer l3 and nut 29 appliedto the free end of the portion [6 of said arm I5. If'desired, the'extremity ofthe portion [6 of the ar'rn 15 maybe extendedbutwar l b yon he bal nii'nyt 220 ii the for of a'sharpenedpointer elementzlf which (to-W5 operates with certain stroke indicating marks with which the uprights 6-1 are provided, as

' will subsequently appear.

Means are provided for limiting the downward'movement of the nutpiece II on the guide member ID, thereby to essleeve 22 which is suitably secured to the lower side of the nut-piece II to surround'the guide member l0,,and saidsleeve is preferably pivoted with an outwardly extending annular bottom flange 23 to provide afoot-piece adaptedto be stopped against 'or abut the base 5, thereby to arrest downward movementof the nut-piece ll on the guide member I0 at a point adapted to dis- 7 pose the ball'l'lin the desired above described 1 secured to said base in longitudinally spaced renormal initial or teed position, 'Said sleeve 22' also serves to support the nut-piece ll, during its up and down movementson' the guide member, against tilting and like effects which would tend to bind the same relative to the guide member or'otherwise interfere with the free and easy travel thereof upon the latter.

In the use of the novelpractice device of this invention, the same is placed on the floor or ground and the user takes his stance in front of the same and addressing the ball ll with his golf club, swings and strikes the same exactly as would be done with respect to a teed free ball. As the ball I! is struck, the movement imparted thereto causes the same to revolve around the helical guide member I0, thus turning the nut-, piece I l in clockwise direction upon the latter, so that the turning nut-piece and revolving ball rise on the guide member. The distance of such rising effect will beproportional'to the force of the blow administered to the ball, and as the'momentum of the ball spends itself the ball will stop its clockwise revolution, such stopping point being noted by reference to the indicating marks 24 with which the forward faces of the uprights 6"! are provided, whereby the effectiveness of the practice shot is indicated in terms'of yardage or anti-clockwise direction. This downward movement is automatically initiated and continues until the stop means 272-23 again abuts .the base 5,.thereby to position the ball I! in the described normal initial or teed position ready for administration of another practice stroke It will be obvious that this automatic resetting of the ball to an initial or teed position is a novel characteristic of the practice device, and one which it is believed. clearly distinguishes the same from other captive ball practice devices which have'heretofore been known or suggested. [It will also be equally obvious that the automatic resetting or self-teeing functioning of the, ap-

paratus is of immense advantage-to the user, not only because it relieves the latter from all necessity of bending or stooping to manually adjust or reset the device for a subsequent stroke, but because it permits the user to concentrate his full attention, without interruption, upon the study of his stroke methods and effects. 7

The indicating marks 24 are above referred to as applied to both the uprights 6 and Land although this is believed to be most practical, it

will be understood that the marks may be applied to only one'of the uprights, if desired, or that any other suitable method of comparative flight 'measurement may be resorted to, or even omitted altogether, if deemed advisable.

I'am aware that various changes could be made in the above described constructions, and, 5

lation, a cross-piece secured to and extending between the upper portions of said uprights, a vertical guide member afiixed to and between said base and cross-piece'intermediate said uprights, said guide member being formed of helically on said guide member, a rigid laterally projecting arm carried by said nut-piece, a golf ball afiixed to the free end portion of said arm, and at least one of said uprights having indicating marks observable to denote the equivalent of flight distance of the struck ball at the limit of any given wardly about said guide member. 2. In a golf practice device, a base, uprights sea cured to saidbase in longitudinally spaced relatwisted flat stock, a nut-piece rotatablyslidable'f upward movement thereof when revolved uption, a cross-piece secured to and'extending be-.

tween the upper portions of said uprights, a vertical guide member aflixed to and between said base and cross-piece intermediate said uprights, said guide member being formed of helically twisted flat stock, a nut-piece rotatably slidable on said guide member, a rigid laterally projecting arm carried by said nut-piece, a golf ball affixed to the free end portion of said arm, and'stop means to limit the downward movement of said nut-piece on said guide member, thereby to dispose the golf ball in normal initial teed position overhanging the forward side of said base and spaced from the underlying ground surface.

3. In a golf practice device, a base, uprights secured to said base in longitudinally spaced relation, a cross-piece secured to and extending between the upper portions of said uprights, a vertical guide member afiixed to and between said base and cross-piece intermediate said uprights,

said guide member being formed of helically twisted flat stock, a nut-piece rotatably slidable on said guide member, a rigid laterally'projectin'g 3 arm carried by said nut piece', a golf ball alfixed to the free end portion of said arm, stop means to limit thedownward movement of said nut-piece on said guide member, thereby to dispose the golf ball in normal initial teed position overhanging the forward side of said base and spaced from the underlying ground surface, and at least one of said uprights having indicating marks observable to denote the equivalent of flight distance of the struck ball at the limit of any given upward movement thereof when revolved upwardly about said guide member.

4. A golf drive stroke practice device comprising a ball, a rotatable support for said ball and a vertically positioned member on which said support is rotatable to raise the support when the ball is struck and on which it is automatically rotatable to return the ball and support to a teed position under the action of gravity and means raised by said support for indicating the distance said support is moved when the ball is struck.

5. A golf drive stroke practice device comprising a ball, a support for said ball normally holding it in a lowered and teed position, a vertically positioned member on which said support is rotatable in a clockwise direction when the ball is struck to raise the ball and support and on which it is automatically rotatable in a counter clockwise direction under the action of gravity after the momentum of said support and said ball is expended to return said ball and said support to said lowered position and cooperating elements on said member and support for positioning said ball in its teed position at the end of its movement under the action of gravity.

WILLIAM J. GLANCEY. 

